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Issue
4.21 | Monday, March 26, 2012 TODAY'S
FOCUS CURRENTS THE
LIST FOOD
& DRINK GOOD
NEWS HISTORY
ALSO INSIDE :: FEEDBACK: Good on Waring :: SPOTLIGHT: Kaynard Photography :: CALENDAR: This week ... and next :: QUOTE: Magic of photography :: BROADUS: Step by step |
ABOUT US CharlestonCurrents.com offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what's happening locally. What readers say WHERE IS IT?
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MARCH 26, 2012 -- South Carolina is a better place because of people like the late J. Waties Waring. Judge Waring's evolution from a segregationist to an advocate for civil rights and his judicial rulings that hastened the end of legal segregation are little recognized but noteworthy landmarks along the road to freedom and justice. His life and work also offer good direction as we continue to travel that winding road.
As an African-American, I appreciate and celebrate the courage of Judge Waring and of like-minded white citizens. I get my predictable share of angry letters and editorial criticism for calling attention to societal inequities related to race -- that's expected of a black preacher speaking inconvenient truth. Judge Waring and those like him, however, received stiffer and far more bitter condemnation because they're seen as traitors to their race. Charleston, South Carolina, and many other Southern cities are chronically afflicted by what I call "raging politeness." Racial barriers to progress are seldom acknowledged or explored because we want to be "polite" to each other and not ruffle feathers. That's true in the traditional black community, where some citizens place acceptance by the majority society above assertive action for change, and especially true in the traditional white community, where any suggestion that racial views need to evolve is often met with amazing hostility. As a Charlestonian from a very old and established family, Judge Waring was treated by his community with the level of angry disdain and rejection reserved for Southerners who chose to stay loyal to the Union during the Civil War. He was literally driven out of town and lived and died as a Southern expatriate in New York, but he stood his ground and held onto his convictions. When citizens of like mind have the courage to follow his example today, we can bring South Carolina into the 20th century -- and I did mean to say the 20th century -- when it comes to race relations.
We still need people like J. Waties Waring because those willing to stand on principle and not accept the status quo, regardless of criticism, are as rare now as they were in Judge Waring's day. Many citizens -- white and black -- quietly agreed with Judge Waring's views but wouldn't stand with him or defend him out of fear that they too might be threatened or rejected, and many good people are similarly reluctant today. A longtime friend of mine is a Republican elected official, although his personal political views are more in line with those of the Democratic Party. When I pointed that out, he said, "You're right, but I can't be elected as a Democrat in my very white district. My constituents vote by emotion, not on the basis of what needs to be done or is best for them, and although they won't say it out loud, they won't vote for anyone who likes black people." Those with views like that need to take the risk of being as visionary and progressive today as Judge Waring was in his day. In an era when "cookie cutter" state laws on voter ID's, immigration and "castle doctrine" pander to racial fear and when candidates went on carefully-worded racial rants to gain votes in South Carolina's GOP presidential primary, we badly need more people like J. Waties Waring. We need people who will go beyond old prejudice, old assumptions and old fears and do what's right instead of what's expedient and acceptable to their peers. That kind of courage and vision are timeless and badly needed to make America "...one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all."
MARCH 26, 2012 -- It's the spring of the megabug. Residents from South Windermere to Air Harbor continue to report an increasing presence of carpenter bees as long as four inches buzzing and infiltrating area homes. Mosquitoes are swarming so much that many people complain about not being able to do routine activities, such as walking pets or washing cars. Recent heavy rains caused a surge in flying cockroaches making nightly visits to dark corners of bathrooms and kitchen counters.
"It's about as hard to kill this new strain of megabugs with conventional pesticides as it is to win the lottery," one pest control technician told Charleston Currents. "We're having to break out our super powerful kiwi-scented insecticide called Green Stuff With Little Black Dots. It's a lethal bug cocktail that kills like nothing you've ever seen." Neighbors along Tall Oak Avenue in metro Avondale reported to authorities that their children were afraid to play in backyard forts after swarms of super-sized carpenter bees invaded as part of their annual spring break burrowing.
"These things are mutants," said resident Averill Snodgrass. "I won't let my kids out in the yard covered in honey anymore because these bees are so territorial that I'm worried they'll attack if they think the kids are invading their home." For gardeners taking advantage of early warm weather, planting tomatoes, herbs and vegetables have taken a dangerous turn for the worst as insects and other pests are rampaging throughout local yards. "I can't get my beans in because I can't get in the yard without spending all of my time swatting bugs," said 82-year-old Mavis Beardsley of McClain Street. "I've never seen it so bad. It's almost like the plague of the locusts from that Charlton Heston movie." County officials said the spring surge in insects this year likely was due to increased global warming. A spokesman for Charleston Southern University said there was no such thing as global warming, at least in the Old Testament.
"Look for more mosquitoes than you can throw a stick at," said mosquito control officer Kanyu Picket. "They're big. They're ugly. And they're out in force. (Officials advised citizens to refrain from throwing sticks at the bugs as some mosquitoes have grown thumbs and may return the volley.) "We're going to get 'em, but this year, it's going to take thousands of pounds of chemical." Local yard operators complain that the increased frequency in bug-related incidents is hurting business. "You know, I might put up with paying a little more in taxes if the government could do something about these dang superbugs," said Johnson Wales of AAA Yards in Johns Island. "I might even vote for a Democrat if one of them could make these things go away. That's how bad it's got." If you haven't figured it out yet, have a happy and early April Fool's Day. * * * For those of you who enjoyed last week's commentary on Judge J. Waties Waring, you can check out an updated version on Statehouse Report. You also can learn a lot about Judge Waring on a new Web site being unveiled today: WatiesWaring.org.
To the
editor: [There was] No case citation, but I assume it was one of the cases dealing with the white primary cases from that era. Judge Waring responded on his District Court stationary and sent my grandfather a hand- painted Christmas card for Christmas 1948.
Kaynard Photography grew from Michael's love of walking the streets of the Charleston's historic district. It developed into a passion for capturing everything Charleston through a camera lens. Kaynard can be seen walking the streets of Charleston many days from dawn to darkness. He calls his work "At Street Level". His photos are available for viewing and sale at kaynardphotography.webs.com.
MARCH 26, 2012 -- Like the recipes in his new cookbook, "Cool Inside," chef Frank McMahon and his team at Hank's Restaurant have put all the right ingredients together to come up with a Charleston cookbook that's an instant classic. The recipes, the photographs, the storytelling, the nods to our culinary past, present and future - they all blend into a beautiful book that belongs in the collection of anyone who loves Charleston, its food and its history.
In addition to the recipes, the coffee-table-style book has hundreds of lush photographs by Peter Frank Edwards that pay loving homage to the Lowcountry and its heritage while capturing both the elegance of the food on the plate and the lively spirit and fun of the restaurant, its chef and its staff. Writer Melissa Bigner teamed up with McMahon to tell the stories of Henry's, Hank's and the evolution of the restaurant, with plenty of inviting sidebars on the food and the city - and the owner of Hank's, Hank Holliday, offered his own fond memories of dining at Henry's and his insights into the development of Hank's. Graphic artist Gil Shuler added the perfect grace notes to the design to help bring it all together. At $50, the book is probably not one you'll want to keep within splattering distance of the peanut oil. But that's not to say that the recipes aren't "cookable." Certainly, for some recipes, it will help if the cook knows his or her way around the kitchen, but there are plenty of others that I believe would be doable for any level of expertise. That being said, I think most of us like a cookbook that inspires us and challenges us to try a new technique or track down an ingredient we haven't worked with before. That's what makes cooking so much fun - and that's what this cookbook will inspire you to do. "Cool Inside" is available at the restaurant, which is located at 10 Hayne St. in the City Market. My advice: Gather a group of friends, make a reservation at Hank's, try a variety of dishes - and pick up a cookbook on your way out so you can take the inspiration home. No Strawberry Festival at Boone Hall The ongoing and extensive road construction on U.S. Highway 17 has caused an unanticipated casualty: the Lowcountry Strawberry Festival, an annual rite of spring at Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant.
That's definitely good news - and here's some more: Boone Hall's "u-pick" strawberry fields open for the season today, a bit ahead of the typical schedule. Milder-than-usual winter temperatures have produced an earlier-than-usual crop, says the announcement at Boone Hall's website. The fields will be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturday. Be aware that because of the construction on Highway 17, you'll need to enter the u-pick fields from Long Point Road. Cooking
Class Spotlight
Jazz is alive and well in Charleston with several April and May events on tap.
Five days of programming will be announced later this week to celebrate the work of the Jazz Artists of Charleston and the affiliated Charleston Jazz Orchestra, which performed two incredible shows Saturday at Charleston Music Hall. Learn more about what's happening in jazz at the JAC's Web site. Here are some events that are sure to blow you away:
Piggly
Wiggly announces new "local" campaign Piggly
Wiggly Carolina Company will launch a new brand campaign, "Local
Since Forever." on April 2 across the state of South Carolina and
the coastal Georgia region, where its near 100 stores operate.
"This
campaign feels right," says David Schools, president and CEO of Piggly
Wiggly Carolina Company, Inc. "A lot has changed in the world since
our company opened its doors in 1947, and this campaign is about honoring
what it means to be 'local' and what really matters to our loyal customers,
the employee-owners who keep our customers returning, and our communities
who are proud to call us a neighbor." All aspects
of the campaign were sourced and produced locally, from the voice talent
of novelist Josephine Humphreys, a Charleston native, to the music, and
local "models" -- area residents, long-time employees of The
Pig, local farmers and manufacturers -- who will appear on advertisements
and billboards. Nine new ways to "Be Your Own Fan" The Charleston
RiverDogs are expanding the team's popular "Be Your Own Fan"
experience by letting baseball enthusiasts be part of any of nine fan
groups. Once registered, fans will get a free color-coded bracelet as
well as emails, special offers and incentives that cater to their interests.
You can pick to join one of these fan groups:
The RiverDogs
begin the 2012 season at Riley Park at 7:05 p.m. April 15 with a game
against the Rome Braves. More. Announcement set for today to help kids lighten up Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. will challenge Charleston's kids to "lighten up" today with the announcement of a new campaign that will challenge the community to lose 100,000 pounds through healthy eating and exercise. "The mission of Lighten Up Charleston is to reduce obesity by promoting healthy eating and physical activity. Lighten Up Charleston will help residents identify local community organizations, programs and facilities to make healthy food and exercise choices clear and accessible," according to a press advisory. Partnering with the city during the campaign are: Roper-St. Francis, MUSC, College of Charleston, The Citadel, Charleston County School District, BenefitFocus and SC DHEC - Region 7. Riley's
announcement will be 2:30 p.m. today at the Charleston Maritime Center,
10 Wharfside Street, Charleston.
To escape racial discrimination in Philadelphia's Methodist Church, Richard Allen, a former slave, organized the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church there in 1787. It is the oldest African American religious denomination and existed mainly in the North before the Civil War. The denomination's origins in South Carolina date to 1818. In 1817 the attempt of white Methodists in Charleston to control the activities of black church members precipitated a mass exodus of 4,367 from the church. The following year many went on to establish the African Church, which was affiliated with the AME denomination. At this time Charleston's membership was second only to that of Philadelphia, and it was the southernmost branch of the denomination. Suspicious of its northern connections and the autonomy the church represented, white authorities routinely harassed its members. Church leaders' involvement in the 1822 Denmark Vesey slave conspiracy led to destruction of the church and dispersal of its membership.
In 1863 the church was reestablished in South Carolina when the first AME missionaries, the Reverends James Lynch and James Hall, began their operations in and around Port Royal, Edisto, and Beaufort. On May 15, 1865, in Charleston, Bishop Daniel Payne organized the South Carolina Conference, which originally also included North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. African Methodism grew rapidly and was black Carolinians' second largest denomination at the end of the century. In 1880 with 300,000 primarily southern members, the first bishops for the South were elected. All had important ties to South Carolina. Henry McNeal Turner was from Newberry; Richard Cain was the quintessential preacher-politician in Reconstruction South Carolina; and the Sixth Episcopal District, which included South Carolina, was William Dickerson's first appointment. African Methodism promoted education, and churches frequently housed secular and Sunday schools. To raise the educational level of ministers, Payne Institute was established in Cokesbury in 1870. Relocating to Columbia in 1880, the school was renamed Allen University and was the first college controlled by African Americans in the state. South Carolinians were also in the forefront of the denomination's missionary efforts. In 1878 the AME Liberian Mission Church headed by the Reverend Santania Flegler departed Charleston with the Liberian Exodus participants. Bishop Henry McNeal Turner's efforts organized the denomination in Sierra Leone and Liberia in 1891 and southern Africa in 1896. In 2004 one-third of the denomination's 3.5 million members were Africans and the church was growing most rapidly in western and southern Africa. South Carolina, which constitutes the Seventh Episcopal District, had the third largest membership of the church's nineteen districts. Advocating "the Gospel of Freedom," African Methodist ministers have played important roles as secular leaders. Between 1868 and 1876 seven AME ministers were elected to the South Carolina state legislature. Church leaders used their offices to articulate community grievances and to protest against lynching and racial discrimination. In 1948 the Reverend Joseph DeLaine organized black parents against racial discrimination in Clarendon County's public schools. The resulting litigation was one of the cases decided in the U.S. Supreme Court's famous Brown v. Board of Education decision. The mission of the church has always been broadly based, and its resources have been deployed to address a range of social problems, including HIV-AIDS, health-care disparities, affordable housing, and foster care.
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Joe Riley's top accomplishments
Thanks, Mayor! "Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter."
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(NEW) What's Next? 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 29, Charleston Area Convention Center, Meeting Street, Charleston. The Charleston Metro Chamber's Center for Business Research and College of Charleston will present the community's annual Economic Outlook Conference with forecasts for the coming year. Presenters include economists and College of Charleston President George Benson. Registration: $105 for Chamber members; $160 for non-members; includes lunch. Register online. Lowcountry Cajun
Festival: Noon to 6 p.m., April 1, James Island County Park.
Not only will there be crawfish, Cajun and Creole foods, but Louisiana
will come alive at the 21st annual festival featuring Zydeco music, children's
activities and lots more. The crawfish-eating contest is at 2:30 p.m.
More. Great Migration concert: 5 p.m. April 1, St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 405 King Street Charleston. The CSO Gospel Choir will present a Palm Sunday performance of "The Great Migration: 1915-1930 African-American Southern Exodus," a musical story of the southern African-American exit from oppressive post reconstruction Jim Crow laws. More. CALENDAR: ONGOING AND SOON Magnolia's photo
contest: Entries due June 6. If you want to submit pictures
to the 2012 photo contest by Magnolia Plantations and Gardens, you can
start taking picture now. Submissions start April 1 for photos
taken between March 5 and May 31. More
info. "Greater Tuna" comedy: 10 shows from April 5 to April 21, Charleston Acting Studio, 915 Folly Road, Charleston. Midtown/Sheri Grade Productions presents this comedy about Texas' third-smallest town "where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies." Tickets are $20. More. Easter Egg Hunt: 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m., April 7, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston. Children from 3 to 5 will hunt at 11 a.m., while those who are 6 and 7 will participate at noon. Kids from 8 to 10 years old will get their chance at 1 p.m. All will be looking for eggs stuff with lots of different kinds of prizes. More. Fun Easter promenade: 11 a.m., April 7, Meeting Street, Charleston. You can see lots of great hats as the Hat Ladies of Charleston stroll along Meeting Street to White Point Gardens during their 11th Easter Promenade. The parade starts at the Four Corners of Law. More online or phone 843-762-6679. (NEW) The Impact of Hate: 5:30 p.m., April 9, Physicians Auditorium, College of Charleston. Shane Windmeyer, a national leader in gay and lesbian civil rights and a champion for LGBT issues on college campuses, will speak as part of the Office of Institutional Diversity Signature Speaker Series. The event is free and open to the public. More info: Contact the Office of Diversity by email or phone 843.953.5079. Book launch and reception: 6 p.m., April 9, Charleston Library Society, Charleston. Local businesswoman Darla Moore will introduce noted author Charlotte Beers for the debut of her new book, "I'd Rather be in Charge: A Legendary Business Leader's Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power and Joy at Work." More info: Phone 723.9912. Seating is limited. (NEW) Gibbes on the Street: 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., April 19. The Gibbes Museum of Art will throw its third annual street party with an evening of food, fun and music on Meeting Street between Cumberland and Queen streets. Lots of food by top area chefs will be available. Tickets are $100 for members and $135 for non-members. More: Go online or call 843-722-2706 x22. East Coast Canoe
& Kayak Festival: April 20-22, James Island County Park. More
than 50 commercial exhibitors will be on hand at the 22nd annual festival
that's filled with on-water classes, lectures and demonstrations for paddlers
of all ages. More. Bird walks: 8:30 a.m. to noon, every Wednesday and Saturday. This is the time of year that a great variety of migrating birds fly through the Lowcountry so what better time to take part in one of the regular early morning bird walks at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel. Pre-registration is suggested. Cost is $5. Learn more online. FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
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The
public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston
Currents to you at no cost. Today we shine our spotlight on a brand new
underwriter: Kaynard Photography, a business run by contributing
photographer Michael Kaynard of West Ashley.
"Cool
Inside" has more than 100 recipes, including the ones McMahon re-created
and reimagined from the menu at Henry's, a landmark Charleston restaurant
of the 1950s, '60s and '70s and the inspiration behind the founding of
Hank's a dozen years ago. The Seafood a la Wando is here, as are the curried
shrimp, fried seafood and other heralded Henry's dishes. But you also
get McMahon's own up-to-date, fresh-off-the-boat creations -- Lowcountry
Gazpacho with Shrimp and Pickled Okra; Roasted Grouper with Sweet Corn,
Leek, Lobster and Rock Shrimp Risotto and Champagne-Citrus Beurre Blanc;
Sauteed Wreckfish with Roasted Garlic, Parsley and Sage Broth and Pan-Seared
Mushrooms; Pecan Fried Soft-Shell Crabs with Shrimp and Jambalaya Risotto
and Tomato-Cumin Vinaigrette -- and many more.
"The
Lowcountry Strawberry Festival at Boone Hall Plantation has been one of
the most popular events held in the South Carolina Lowcountry each spring,"
says a notice at the plantation's website (http://www.boonehallplantation.com).
"After lengthy consideration, the festival will go on hiatus for
2012. The road construction presently under way would make it difficult
to get the large numbers of vehicles on and off Highway 17 that the festival
would bring. But we do plan for the festival to be back next year in full
swing."
Mount
Pleasant writer and editor Ann Thrash can be reached at: 
You
can get a week of jazz through Jazz Artists of Charleston as the nonprofit
organization kicks off JAC Week with the third official Jazz Artists of
Charleston day on April 9. The week-long festival of jazz culture in Charleston
will run through April 13. 
The
campaign will be introduced with a two-minute television proclamation
celebrating Piggly Wiggly's local ties and company values. Then the campaign
will be extended to radio ads, television commercials, billboards, newspaper
circulars, store signage and collateral, social media spaces -- and later
this year will be integrated into the company's new Web site.
The
Networker: Comes to the ballpark to meet and connect with people and
utilize the facility's atmosphere to create business relationships;
We
spoke last week with Charleston Mayor Joe Riley and asked him for an off-the-cuff
list of his five top accomplishments over the years. Although there are
many more, here's his list:
